American River Parkway
Managed by Sacramento County Parks
349 acres2 mi of trail
River Discovery Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Gold River
11% of Gold River’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
11% of Gold River’s land is conserved, about 188 acres. The biggest trail networks: American River Parkway (2 mi). 2.1 miles of mapped trail cross Gold River, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #184 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
188 acres · of 2.7 sq mi of land
Trails
2.1 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
189 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
8.2 mi lanes · 10 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Gold River?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Gold River have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gold River is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #184 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Gold River’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (189 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 78%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is American River Parkway, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
68 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Gold River Park
Park
4 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
188 conserved acres
11% of Gold River’s land. Who manages Gold River’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County105 ac
State fish & wildlife53 ac
State parks24 ac
Regional agency14 ac
Local Recreation Area · 98 acState Recreation Area · 77 acLocal Park · 14 acLocal Other or Unknown · 6 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| American River Parkway Local Recreation Area | County | 98 | Open |
| American River Access State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 53 | Open |
| Folsom Lake State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State parks | 22 | Open |
| Prospect Hill Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| County Of Sacramento Local Other or Unknown | County | 6 | Open |
| Gold River Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| Gold Station Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Lake Natoma State Recreation Area | State parks | 1 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Gold River
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Gold River
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Gold River
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
River Discovery Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
10 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
24Tennis
10Pickleball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Gold River: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 61 | 67 | 72 | 81 | 90 | 95 | 94 | 90 | 79 | 65 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 3.8 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 4.4 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Gold River →
Next door
Gold River and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold River | 11% | 0.8 | 24 | 98% | A |
| Fair Oaks | 22% | 3.7 | 48 | 81% | A+ |
| Rancho Cordova | 11% | 0.8 | 20 | 95% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gold River
Where can I hike in Gold River?
The longest trail networks: American River Parkway, 2 miles; Gold River Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gold River is conserved land?
11% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Gold River’s trails?
American River Parkway and Folsom Lake State Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gold River?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.2 of painted or protected lanes and 10 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Gold River?
24,413 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gold River or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 189 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Gold River have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #184 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Gold River neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →